Author: Emil Lazarian

UNITED ARMENIAN FUND
1101 N. Pacific Avenue #301
Glendale, CA 91202
Tel: 818-241-8900
Fax: 818-241-6900
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2 November 2006
United Armenian Fund Donates $4.5 Million
To All 28 Armenian Schools in Lebanon
Glendale, CA – The United Armenian Fund, through a generous grant
from The Lincy Foundation, is donating a total of $4.5 million to
all 28 Armenian schools throughout Lebanon.
This contribution is prompted by the economic crisis of the past few
years, which was aggravated by the devastating attack on Lebanon last
Summer. Thousands of needy Armenian families could no longer afford the
tuition for the Armenian schools their children attended. Consequently,
most of these schools were in no position to pay the salaries of
their teachers and staff.
The UAF funds contributed to these schools are designated for three
specific purposes:
1) $3.2 million to pay full or partial tuition for 5,092 needy Armenian
students, which constitutes close to 75% of the 7,029 students enrolled
in all 28 schools during the 2006-07 academic year;
2) $757,000 to cover the salaries owed by most of the schools to 536
teachers and staff for the past academic year;
3) A total of $513,000 for the general operating expenses of these
schools.
Harut Sassounian, the President of the United Armenian Fund, is
currently in Lebanon to visit all 28 Armenian schools, meet with their
principals and educational councils, and deliver the earmarked sums
to each school.
“The UAF’s contribution will be allocated to all Armenian schools in
Lebanon, without exception,” Sassounian said.
The schools receiving financial assistance are:
Nine Prelacy schools: Sophia Hagopian College; Haratch C. Gulbenkian
School; Apkarian School; Aksor Kassarjian School; Yeghishe Manoukian
College; Roupinian – Sahag Mesrobian School; Souren Khanamirian
College; Noubarian – Khrimian School; and Forty Martyrs School.
Seven Evangelical schools: Central High School; Gertmenian School;
Anjar Secondary School; Torosian School; Armenian Evangelical College;
Shamlian Tatigian School; and Trad School.
Six Catholic schools: Harboyan School; Mekhitarian School; Sisters
School of Anjar; Mesrobian College; St. Agnes School; and Hripsimiantz
College.
Three AGBU schools: Garmirian School; Tarouhy – Hovagimian School;
and Nazarian School.
Armenian Educational & Cultural Society (Hamazkayin) school: M &
H Arslanian College (Jemaran).
Tekeyan Cultural Association school: Vahan Tekeyan School.
Armenian Educational Benevolent Union school: Sahaguian –
L. Meguerditchian College.
“This unprecedented gift of $4.5 million should alleviate a large
part of the heavy financial burden of the schools shouldered by the
struggling Armenian community of Lebanon. Armenians worldwide should
lend a helping hand to this most vital community which has many other
needs. Few things are as important for the future of the Armenian
people as the education of the next generation. By supporting Armenian
schools, we are investing not just in the survival, but the revival
of Armenian culture,” Sassounian said.
Since its inception in 1989, the UAF has sent $447 million of
humanitarian assistance to Armenia on board 140 airlifts and 1,359
sea containers.
The UAF is the collective effort of the Armenian Assembly of America,
Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian Missionary Association
of America, Armenian Relief Society, Diocese of the Armenian Church
of America, Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America and
The Lincy Foundation.
For more information, contact the UAF office at 1101 North Pacific
Avenue, Suite 301, Glendale, CA 91202 or call (818) 241-8900.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Armeni an Youth Federation- Western United States
104 North Belmont St.
Suite 206
Glendale, CA 91206
(818) 507-1933
[email protected]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: November 1, 2006
Contact: Mary Ashdjian
(818) 507-1933
AYF PREPARES NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS
– Over 40 AYF Members Participate in Leadership Seminar Held by AYF
Central Executive
Los Angeles, California – The Armenian Youth Federation – Western
Region (AYF-WR) Central Executive held a successful leadership seminar
last weekend during which AYF leaders attended a series of lectures and
workshops designed to facilitate the development of effective leaders.
Important topics pertaining to leadership were covered by community
leaders who have contributed to the betterment of the AYF and
previously held leadership positions within the organization.
Educationals were conducted by Armenian National Committee –
Western Region Board member Raffi Hamparian, Glendale City Clerk
Ardashes Kassakhian, former AYF leader Mourad Topalian, Homenetmen
leader Nyree Derderian, Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)
Central Committee representative Aram Kaloustian, and ARF Badenegan
leader Vahe Manuelian. Public relations, recruitment, networking,
fundraising, women in leadership, strengthening Badanegan ties and
AYF Activism were among the topics addressed.
The seminar included an executive workshop, presented by the AYF-WR
Central Executive, during which he relayed the mission and goals of
the AYF and highlighted the importance of leadership roles.
“Participants of the seminar were extremely motivated after the
lectures and workshops. They pledged to take back what they learned
to their respective communities to guide and educate the Armenian
youth in accordance with the organization’s mission,” said AYF-WR
Central Executive Chairman Saro Shirinian.
The seminar was not only a time for listening, but also sharing
ideas. AYF leaders from across the Western Region of the United States
were able to share common problems in an open forum and discuss ways in
which to address them. This experience created a valuable opportunity
for members to learn from each other, build on the successes of one
another, and establish strong ties with the Central Executive.
“We thank the speakers who took the time to help educate the future
leaders of the organization. The seminar would not have been a success
without their knowledge and guidance,” said Central Executive Member
Caspar Jivalagian.
The AYF-WR vows to prepare the next generation of educated, capable
leaders to properly lead the organization in the decades to come.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WHS’S NEW ORCHESTRA LEADER IS A MUSICAL RENA
By Marisa Kendall/ Townsman Correspondent
Wellesley Townsman, MA
Nov 2 2006
Wellesley High School’s new orchestra teacher arrived with a resume
packed with both professional and teaching experience.
Jeffrey Howard conducts Wellesley High’s orchestra during the morning
and holds private violin lessons after school. In between, Howard also
teaches classes in violin, music appreciation and music education at
Bridgewater State and Westfield state colleges.
Currently in his first year at WHS, Howard came to Wellesley from
a teaching position at the University of Texas in Arlington. “I’m
enjoying working here very much,” he said.
Howard is impressed by the “tradition” of education visible in
Wellesley, he said, and by the fact that the school’s orchestra
students “really want to be there.” Their dedication and energy
create an inspiring atmosphere, he said, because “they all sincerely
love music.”
Howard can also attribute this atmosphere to his own love of music,
both as a teacher and a professional musician. He has substituted
in the Boston Symphony, been Concord Orchestra concert master and
preformed all over the world, in places including Prague, Budapest and
Vienna. Currently Howard plays violin in the “Kassian-Howard Duo” with
his wife, Anna Soukiassian, who accompanies him on the piano. Because
Soukiassian is Armenian, the duet incorporates Armenian music into
its classical and chamber music repertoire, Howard said. Soukiassian
is also a music teacher, and teaches at Philips Academy and gives
private lessons. The duet performs regularly across the U.S., and
has a recital scheduled for Nov. 12 in Montreal.
Though the Kassian-Howard Duo has been performing together for nine
years, “there’s always a certain amount of nerves in anticipation
of doing your best,” Howard said. The stress eases with practice, he
added, but a portion will still be there. “The challenge of performing
in front of people [is the] ultimate challenge of realizing your
musical potential,” Howard said.
Howard practices with his wife for two hours a day on top of a busy
teaching schedule, but he said the two obligations complement each
other more than they conflict. “The more I teach, the better my solo
playing gets,” he said. His students make him aware of the way he does
things, Howard said, which helps him determine how he can improve
his technique and, ultimately, his playing. Helping students find
their musical voice has, in turn, helped him find his own, Howard
said. Performing has also helped to build his musical skill and make
him a better teacher, he said.
Howard has always wanted to teach and perform simultaneously, and
neither interest ever outweighed the other, he said. His father was an
elementary school teacher for 42 years, Howard said, and teaching was
in the family. Following this tradition, Howard first started teaching
music lessons during high school, and he has now been teaching full
time for 15 years. Music was an early interest as well, and as a
child he also took piano lessons. Now he plays some viola on top of
the violin.
The worlds of teaching and performing connect for Howard most
noticeably in his students, who are also some of his biggest fans. He
has a “devoted group of students” who attend all his local concerts,
he said. “[They] love seeing their teacher perform.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PAMUK AND THE NOBEL
Hilmi Yavuz
Zaman, Turkey
Nov 2 2006
After Orhan Pamuk won the Nobel Prize for Literature, I purposely
didn’t write my thoughts on the subject. I wanted to let the praise
and hysteria die down first. It was as if those who gave praise were
prepared beforehand and had already decided what they were going
to say.
But there is this point and I think it is extremely important: Those
who praised him to no end or spoke extremely ill of him, even though
they knew what they thought, were people who had not written a line
for or against Orhan Pamuk before!
I never came across an article by Yildirim Turker praising Orhan
Pamuk’s literary side nor criticism of Pamuk by Alev Alatli!.. It’s
a good thing that Pamuk won the Nobel Prize for Literature, giving
us an insight into their thoughts on the subject…
Look, during the past fifteen years I have written at least 20
articles regarding Orhan Pamuk. I am one of his harshest critics. I
wrote and said time and again that he was an Orientalist writer;
that he sees himself, in Edward Said’s words, as an “exploitation
intellectual;” that he uses Ottoman and Islamic traditions as “decorum”
and consequently, when compared to Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar and Oguz Atay,
who put the East/West question as a fundamental issue of their novels,
he is a writer without an “issue.”
I wrote that he doesn’t take Turks seriously; and that he wrote,
“When a Western observer understands me, I’ll be happy.” I also
explained it was my opinion that if his “I Lived Like My Poem” got
the Nobel Prize, his words, “We killed thirty thousand Kurds and one
million Armenians,” would decrease the value of the Nobel. These are
things known by my readers and those who know me.
Moreover, it’s obvious that the Nobel Prize lobby carries a degree of
weight that can’t be overlooked. This is not only true for Pamuk, but
for many writers who receive the Nobel Prize. Also in Pamuk’s case, of
course the work of his literary agent Andrew Wyley played a part too.
Again, as I previously wrote, some may remember that when I asked
an American friend who knows those circles (and this happened five
years ago!), his evaluation of Wyley was this: “He is a killer!..”
I know first-hand that, in the last ten years in particular, Wyley
has done everything in his power to promote Orhan Pamuk in America…
I want to make this point: Because of Pamuk’s Nobel Prize the public
and the glorious Turkish media have been divided into two over literary
value or political views. This matter is this simple and, trusting
in your forgiveness, there can be no better example of looking at
something with ignorance than this.
Neither of these two factors were not the determining factor in Pamuk’s
receiving the Nobel Prize. That couldn’t be the case!.. Orhan Pamuk’s
political stand on both the EU subject and the Armenian issue is an
implication of his long-term “Orientalist” world view that he sees
no need to hide.
Consequently, evaluating his words, “We killed thirty thousand Kurds
and one million Armenians,” as a stand independent of his Orientalist
worldview is idiocy: it is a requirement of his worldview, and he is
saying whatever Europe wants to hear from him. That’s all!
In other words, Pamuk’s getting the Nobel is not due just to his
works’ literary value or his political statements. His Orientalism,
his literary agent’s endless efforts to make Pamuk prominent (putting
him on magazine covers, articles written about him, etc.) and, of
course, his translators all carry weight.
But, of course, we have to look at the result: As long as we don’t
know how these factors influenced one another; in short, if the Nobel
Jury’s public statement justifying their selection truly represented
their real intention or not, there is no value at all in debating
whether “the prize was given for political reasons” or “no, it was
given for literary value.” Because the caravan has long since moved on.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TO RESOLVE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT DOES NOT DEPEND ON OTHER COUNTRIES BUT ON AZERBAIJAN – AZERI DEPUTY FM
Author: S.Agayeva
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 2 2006
Resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict does not depend on other
countries, but is the responsibility of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani
Deputy Foreign Minister, former Azerbaijani Ambassador to the USA,
Hafiz Pashayev, informed on 2 November while making a speech at Baku
State University, Trend reports.
Azerbaijan has already confirmed itself as a Country, and
having demonstrated itself as a stronger country, Azerbaijan can
independently resolve the conflict, the diplomat stated. Commenting
on the possibility of creating “Caucasus House”, the Deputy Minister
once again confirmed the position of the Country, stating that in
the current situation, Azerbaijan will not establish any co-operation
with Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE MINSK GROUP TAKES UNFAIR VIEW ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH – RULING PARTY FUNCTIONARY
Author: J.Shahverdiyev
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 2 2006
MP Siyavush Novruzov, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the ruling
New Azerbaijan Party, informed Trend at an exclusive interview that
he does not believe that the OSCE Minsk Group is taking a fair view
in the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Trend reports.
So far the OSCE has not recognized Armenia as an aggressor though the
Council of Europe and UN have definite resolutions on this conflict.
“If the Parliament of France adopts the well-known resolution on the
so-called ‘Armenian genocide’ in Turkey, changing European values which
have been established for centuries as well as European democracy,
could can one expect it to hold fair views on the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict? Furthermore, two co-chairing countries
at the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia and France, have voted against
the inclusion of an item on the settlement of frozen conflicts in
the territory of GUAM during the discussions at the UN Security
Council. The display by the Russian Ambassador during the meeting of
the Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents in Ramboulitte demonstrated
whom he actually sympathizes with,’ Novruzov stated.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

67 PERCENT BELIEVE RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE IS USEFUL FOR ARMENIA
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 1 2006
Two thirds of respondents of a public poll conducted in Armenia have
a positive opinion on the existence of the Russian military base
in Armenia. The news agency ARKA reports that the Gallup Institute
conducted the survey in association with the Armenian sociological
association. The poll was conducted July 31 to August 10, and 1200
residents of Armenia participated. 67 percent absolutely believe
that the Russian military base in Armenia has a positive effect for
our state, 15 percent think this question is not so significant, 12
percent think that the effect could be both positive and negative. 2
percent said the effect is negative, and 3 percent declined to answer.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANDRANIK MARGARYAN DREW UP “MAGNIFICENT” BUDGET FOR THE NEXT PRIME MINISTER
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 1 2006
On November 1 the Armenian government and the standinc committees of
the National Assembly kickstarted debates on the State Budget 2007.
If formerly names were given to the state budget that are related to
the economy, such as a budget of survival or a budget of development,
this time Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan, in presenting the budget
bill, thanked the government for “drawing up a magnificent document”.
The minister of finance Vardan Khachatryan was much more modest,
“This is the bill of the state budget of 2007.”
Hardly twenty members of parliament participated in the debates, which
is at least strange, since each committee includes over ten members
of parliament. The members of parliament, who showed up, represented
the coalition, and the only representative of the opposition was Aram
Gaspari Sargsyan, who left after listening to the prime minister. It
should be noted that this important bill of the state interests only
10-15 percent of the members of parliament.
Now about the magnificent budget. The government estimates a 68.3
billion drams deficit of the Magnificent, a nearly 4 percent inflation,
a 9 percent growth of the GDP, the government will battle economic
crime and improve tax and customs administration. As a result of
this improvement the executive estimates collections of 50 billion
drams. The government is hopeful that the imports will grow by 13.5
percent, exports by 16 percent, however the balance of trade will be
negative and will total 903 million drams. And since the prime minister
left without meeting the news reporters, the minister of finance Vardan
Khachatryan had to do the hard work of additional comment. One or two
news reporters hardly managed to find out from the prime minister
that independent from who the next prime minister will be, “Normal
conditions are created for the activities of the next government, the
next prime minister.” The minister of finance thinks the growth of the
negative balance of trade is not dangerous because it does not exceed
5-6 percent of the GDP. “Many countries would dream of this.” Our
foreign debt will grow as well, but “it will not affect essentially
the country’s capacity to pay.” And judging by different standards,
Armenia will be considered a country of low or average burden of debt.

GOVERNMENT APPROVES PLAN OF ACTIONS TO PREVENT BLINDNESS DEVELOPMENT
Armenpress
Nov 02 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS: The government of Armenia gave its
OK today to a national strategic plan of actions drafted to prevent
development of blindness. This plan envisages that causes of blindness
will be eliminated by 2020.
Local experts say 75 percent of blindness cases can be avoided in
case of timely and qualified medical intervention. Vahan Poghosian,
an official of the health ministry, said one of the causes prompting
the authorities to turn to this problem was the growing number of
people with poor eyesight and blindness cases.
Cataract, glaucoma and diabetes remain major causes of blindness. Thus,
0.5 percent of adult population over 50 is completely blind and
another 50,000 people have poor eyesight.
The Union of Armenian Blind People registered last year 255 blind
children. The health ministry has set up a national committee to
prevent development of blindness to steer the work.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMED COLLISION NOT RULED OUT IN JAVAKHK
PanARMENIAN.Net
02.11.2006 15:38 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ United Javakhk leader Vahagn Chakhalyan does not
rule out the opportunity of an armed collision in Samtskhe-Javakheti
Armenian-populated province of Georgia, taking into account the
similarity of the situation in that region with that in Nagorno
Karabakh in the soviet epoch, Chakhalyan stated at a news conference
in Yerevan November 2. At that he reminded that the issue is not on the
agenda today. As for cooperation with Georgian authorities, Chakhalyan
noted, “that cooperation is equal to cooperation with Young Turks in
early past century.” He outlined matters that are priority for United
Javakhk: inadmissibility of the building of Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi
railway, the issue of the status of the Armenian Apostolic Church in
Georgia, the question of studying the Armenian language and history at
schools, the founding of the Georgian-Armenian University. Chakhalyan
also denied opinions that events in Javakhk are linked to exacerbation
of Russian-Georgian relations. “It is strange that Armenian media
call anything happening in this region a crisis in Russian-Georgian
relations,” Chakhalyan stated, reports IA Regnum.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress